The pilot is being run initially in social clubs across Teesside to trial the popularity of the new venture. The researchers involved have suggested that the Wii and similar video games have not had much of an impact on the target demographic, and it was necessary to create a game which could not be cheated.

One of the researchers commented: “Despite the success of the Wii and its motion capture system, it was necessary for us to make our own system to ensure that participants could not cheat. When people first get a Wii they do all the swings like a tennis player and play the proper tennis shots, but there’s a tendency for people to start just flicking the wrist once they get the hang of it.”

“The accelerometers in console capture systems typically cannot distinguish between full-blown strokes and the smaller flick. Alternative console-based motion capture systems based around cameras are also unsuitable, because their frame rates are typically too slow to capture the high-speed movements of participants.”

“They only work at 30 frames per second; that would not capture the motion of a punch, it’s too quick. Greater sensitivity is also needed to ensure that estimates of the energy participants expended were accurate.”

The game utilises a range of sensors placed on the head and chest, and participants grip controllers in both hands to play. It takes real effort to punch and move, making it a proper exercise challenge for people taking part. Known as ‘exergaming’, the new system looks set to revolutionise the way people approach video gaming for fitness.

A co-researcher on the product stated:”The exercise will be high-intensity interval training, with relatively brief periods of playing the game interspersed with recovery periods, like a scaled down version of boxing rounds. There is a growing body of evidence that brief, relatively high-intensity exercise of this type is beneficial for health.”

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The main point of all this is to create an area that is more corporate, and therefore more friendly to advertisers. The premium content in the new area will most likely contain a lot of in-stream advertising. After months of testing different advertising platforms this form of advertising would appear to be YouTube’s favourite, probably since it forces users to look at the message without being overly intrusive on their viewing experience.

Advertising agencies are thought to be excited about the redesign and the new advertising options it will provide, though they do have significant caveats. The main one is the issue of the age of the content available. Most of the premium content currently accessible on YouTube is very old (Beverley Hills 90210, etc.), it is thought YouTube will need to rectify this issue before they start to see the real adverting money.

The redesign was to be launched in the first week of April, though the date has been put back. YouTube have declined to offer an explanation as to why.

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Universal, it seems, are on the verge of going very much in the opposite direction by creating a venture very much larger than a simple agreement to show content on the site.

It makes sense when you think about it – another word for music videos is, after all, promotions. These things are essentially adverts anyway, and there’s not really much scope for selling them to people, so it kind of makes sense that they be shown for free.

As it stands, the other music labels would also be given the option joining the party, though I’ll wager that Universal’s videos would feature would feature slightly more heavily than Warners’ when eventually they are forced to go, cap in hand, to YouTube.

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The reasons behind the decision seem to have something to do with the huge media companies that own these sites. Hulu is, of course, a joint project between NewsCorp and NBC Universal. It appears that the decision makers at these companies couldn’t resist sticking it to rivals CBS, who own TV.com, even if it means messing up Hulu’s business model.

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